‘Obviously Doesn’t Know Ball,’ ‘Dude Is Typically Wrong’ — Texas Fans Fire Back As Josh Pate Makes Bold Arch Manning Claim

The Texas Longhorns have been the No. 1 team in the AP Poll for a month, but during a segment on ESPN’s Get Up, analyst Josh Pate made the bold claim that the Longhorns can’t win a national title with quarterback Arch Manning playing as he has. Needless to say, Texas fans weren’t too enamored with Pate’s take.

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When Mike Greenberg asked Pate if Texas can win the national championship behind the type of performances we’ve seen from Manning so far in the 2026 college football season, the self-styled commissioner of college football didn’t hesitate. “No.”

Pate said Texas can be No. 1 in early October, beat Oklahoma, and make the playoff, but that a title run is different because eventually an opponent has a defense, too. “So eventually it’s in the hands of your quarterback,” he said.

“Obviously doesn’t know ball,” fired back one Texas fan, adding multiple clown emojis to their post on X.

“Dude is typically wrong,” ripped another Texas fan. The reaction comes amid a storm of social media backlash for Pate’s comments comparing the 2026 Florida Gators to the 2019 LSU Tigers national title-winning team. The Gators then went on to take a shellacking at the hands of Missouri in the same week.

Texas has already beaten two ranked opponents. Then No. 4, the Longhorns trailed No. 1 Ohio State 23-3 after three quarters on Sept. 12 and won 24-23 on running back Hollywood Smothers’ 1-yard run with 25 seconds left. Two weeks later, they won 20-17 at No. 14 Tennessee.

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“Did he watch the Ohio State game?” one fan wrote. “Did he watch the Tennessee game? Yes, Texas can.”

Pate’s argument, though, was about the opponents still ahead. After Oklahoma, Texas hosts Florida, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State before a Nov. 7 trip to Missouri.

One Texas fan argued that the Longhorns have already seen good defenses. “So now Ohio State and Tennessee aren’t good defenses??”

Neither win came easily for the Texas offense. Manning threw for 195 yards against Ohio State, and Tennessee sacked him six times while holding the Longhorns to 262 yards.

Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel turned the focus to Manning’s protection, writing, “But can we fix this Texas offensive line?”

Texas has allowed 10 sacks in four games, including two against Ohio State and one against UTSA.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian made a similar case at his Sept. 28 news conference, saying the offense’s struggles did not belong to Manning alone and that many players on offense needed to improve during the bye week.

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Pate anticipated the reaction on air. “I know that’s unpopular. People don’t like to hear that because of the name on the back of the jersey. This is a defensive-oriented team right now.”

The Longhorns have allowed 53 points in four games, and their defense has 15 sacks, 10 of them at Tennessee, where edge rusher Colin Simmons set a school record with 5 1/2.

The take was not new for Pate. On Josh Pate’s College Football Show last week, he ranked Manning ninth among SEC quarterbacks and said Manning would not be a top-10 quarterback in the league without the Ohio State comeback.

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Manning has completed 73 of 115 passes for 862 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions this season.

Manning has said the offense needs to play at its best more often, not just when it has to, and Sarkisian has called consistency his biggest critique.

The next test comes on Saturday in Dallas. Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Texas a 78.3% chance to beat Oklahoma, a 93.1% chance to make the playoff, and an 11.3% chance to win the national title, a figure that rises to 11.9% with a win.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.